Car-axle gage.



No. 791,576.' PATENTBD JUNE 61905.

' G RIEXINGBR GAR AXLE GAGE.

' APVPLICATIN FILED NOV. 21, 1904.l

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No. 791,576'.` .PATBN'TED JUNE 6,1965.

G, RIEXINGER. GAR AXLE GAGE.v AIPLIGATION FILED Nov. 21, 1904.

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1 N01 791,576 PATENTEDJUNE 6,1905.

G. RIEXINGER. CAR AXLE GAGEu APPLICATION FILED NOVfZl, 1904.

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um W Witnssesi Inventor UNITED STATES Patented June 6, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE RIEXINGER, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

CAR-AXLE GAGE.

SPECIFICATIONv forming part of Letters Patent No. 7 91,57 6, dated June 6, 1905.

Application iled November 21, 1904. Serial No. 233.686.

To all whom t may con/cern.-

. by declare thatithe following description of my said invention, taken in connection with the accompanying sheet of drawings, forms a full,

clear, and exact specification, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make'and use the same.

This invention has general reference to improvements in gages for laying out the wheel- Seats and journalbearings of railway-car axles; and it consists, essentially, in the novel and peculiar combination of parts and details of construction, as hereinafter first fully set forth and described and then pointed out in the claims.l l y In the drawings already referred to, Figure 1 is a plan of this improved gage. Fig. 2 is a plan of a portion of this gage 4drawn .to an increased scale. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 4 is a plan of an end portion of the gage. Fig. 5 is a plan of a finished caraxle. Fig. (iis an outline elevation of the same with the gage in position, the said gage being shown in a slightly-modified form with respect tothe saddle and the carriage guide plate. Fig. 7 is a plan of the same. Fig. 8 is a transverse sectional elevation of the carriage and the axle in line 8 8 of Figs. 2 and 3. Fig. 9 is a sectionalview of a portion of the gage-` barand swiveling-blade and illustrating de-l tails of construction thereof.

Like parts are designated by corresponding letters of reference in all the igures.

The object of this invention is the production of an accurate and efficient gage for laying out railway-car axles prior to turning them from a forging or for returning the same. To attain these results, I construct this gage essentially of a strip of metal A, which l shall hereinafter term the scale. It is made from a bar of steel of proper width and thickness and of a length approximately that 'of the shortest standard railway-car axle, or

less than seven feet. One end of this gage A is provided' with a xed hook B, and on the opposite end I arrange two guides O C', having apertures for the passage of a gage-bar D, movably arranged in these guides O O', and carrying at its end a blade E, iixed to a knob F, serving as a handle, saidv knob and vblade being secured one to the other by means of upon theend of the gage-bar D by forming a pinor journal j on the end of said gage-barv rivets j', Fig. 9, and constructed to revolve for the object hereinafter to be referred to. v

This guide-plate G has upwardly and inwardly turned longitudinal-edged forming-guides g, Fig. 8, within which is movably arranged a sliding carriage H, it having its lower lateral edges grooved to engage the guides g on the guide-plate. It has a central bore 71. for the reception of a center-punch I, which is retained in the bore of the carriage bya setscrew z' engaging a groove e" in the'said center-punch, the latter being normally kept in an elevated position by a coil-spring J, surrounding the center-punch and bearing with one end against a collar rl on the center-punch I and with its other endy upon the boss 7L' on p the carriage H.

On the carriage I-I there are two hooksa, the former to engage one end of a coil-spring K, the other end of which engages a hook Z2 on the scale A. This spring when contracted keeps the carriage normally at one end of the guide-plate G, where the lower end of the center-punch, bearing against the end ofthe slot G', prevents further retraction of the carriage H. The other hook, a', engages a preferably steel-wire rope or cord L, which passes to a small Acord sheave or pulley M and is suitably fastened thereto. This sheave revolve. To the sheave N is secured a cord O, which leads and is secured to the end of the gage-bar D by a turnbuckle Z of usual construction, and by means of which the two cords L and O are tensioned and the centerpunch I, and with it the carriage H, located midway between the hook B and the blade E.

Upon the gage-bar D there is placed ascale of inches and fractions of inches d', commencing with a graduating-mark 6' 11", which is the normal distance between the hook B and the blade E, and proceeding to a graduating-mark 7' 5", which is the extreme length of a standard car-axle, the scale being read along the outer edge C" of the guide C'. There is also upon the end of the scale A a graduation of inches a", Fig. 1I, by which a pointer d" on the gage-bar D indicates the distance in inches and fractions of inches between the said hook B and the blade E beyond the normal distance six feet and eleven inches. This latter graduation and the pointer are, however, auxiliary to the graduation on the scale-bar D and may be dispensed with, if desired.

To the carriage H there are secured two rods P P', projecting in opposite directions from the carriage and passing through guides Q9 p', Fig. l, said rods being either two pieces or one single bar passing through a hole f, Fig. 8, in the carriage H. These rods have their ends graduated in inches and fractions of inches p", as hereinafter to be referred to. The distance from end to end of the two rods P P' combined is four feet and six inches, or the standard distance between the flanges of the wheels of a railway-car axle when in position, and the scales p" are read from the two ends toward one another, the object of which will hereinafter more fully appear.

One of the edges of the guide-plate is graduated at g" into inches and fractions thereof, corresponding to the graduations CZ' on the gage-bar D and reading from 3' 55' on, which dimension is the one-half of the distance between the hook B and blade E and is used to set the center-punch I exactly midway between said hook B and blade E by adjusting the turnbuckle d. (Shown in Fig. 4.)

G" is a saddle consisting of a plate secured to the under side of the scale A directly opposite the guide-plate G and provided with a slot corresponding to that in the said scale. This saddle has downwardly-projecting lugs g', which are adapted to engage or straddle the axle-forging A' and to locate the scale in line with the center line of said axle-forging. In the present instance I have formed the guide-plate and the saddle of separate pieces; but when the guide-plate G is formed in the process of casting I may provide this casting with the lugs g' and dispense with a separate plate for the saddle, thereby simplifying the construction and reducing the cost of the apparatus.

In the turning of a raihvay-car axle, as well as in the subsequent pressing on of the carwheels, the dimensions are universally taken from a center-punch mark placed in the midlength of the axle, and in laying out the journal-bearings, as well as the wheel-seats, the proper dimensions are taken from this centerpuneh mark. This has heretofore been done by scaling with a rule, and errors in measurements are of frequent occurrence. To avoid these errors is the object of this present invention, and I shall now proceed to describe the method employed in laying out an axle with this improved device.

An axle-forging A' being given and two wheels which are subsequently to be pressed upon the vturned axle shown in Fig. 5, the workman takes my axle-gage, and, hooking one end, B, onto one end of the forging, he pulls out the gage-bar D by the knob F to hook the bladeEonto the other end of the forging. Assuming this forging to be for a standard axle measuring seven feet and one-fourth of an inch over all and the forging to measure seven feet and one inch, or three-fourths of an inch oversize, the scale d' on thc gage-bar D will indicate that length. At the same time the carriage I-I has been moved away from the hook end B of the scale A one-half of the distance to which the gage-barD has been moved, thus locating the center-punch I exactly midway of the forging. The workman now strikes the center-punch with a hammer to place a distinct center-punch mark upon the forging. Assuming, further, that a dimensioncd blueprint or drawing is furnished the workman giving all the essential dimensions of the axle to be produced, he next proceeds to locate the shoulders of the wheel-seats A", Fig. 5. 'Ihis dimension has to be ascertained from the carwheels to be placed upon said axle, and it varies with dilferent wheels, owing to the variations in the length ofthe projecting part of their hubs. Therefore the workman places a straight-edge across the wheel-anges and measures the distance which the hubs project beyond these flanges. Further, assuming that this distance is one inch the workman counts one inch from the scale p" on the ends of the rods P P' and marks the axle at these two points, which are the proper position of the wheel-seat shoulders, it being borne in mind that the rods P P' are of a length equal to the standard distance between the iianges of a standard car-axle and that the projecting portions of the two hubs of the particular wheels under consideration have been deducted from this length by counting off the projecting portions of the wheel-hubs in inches from the ends of the rods P P'. This device has now served its purpose and the workman removes it from the axle and commences to turn the same to the diameters required and up to the shoulders A" of the wheel-seats. All other dimensions for the length of the jour- IOO IIO

Vnal-bearings, &c., are measured from the wheel -seat shoulders, and thereby axles of correct'dimensions readily obtained.

It will be observed that the relation on diameter of the'two cord-pulleys M and N being as one isto two, the gage-bar D when pulled out one inch revolves the periphery of the larger pulley N also one inch, while the smaller -has been pulled out, the coil-spring K will ref turn the bar D and carriage H to their normal positions.

p In the diagrammatic drawing Fig. 6 I have shown the device in a slightly-modified formthat is to say, the saddle G and the guideplate G are shown to consist of a single piece provided with the lugs g and the guides g for the carriage H. This modification cheapens the device somewhat without affecting its operation.

Having thus fully described this invention, I claim as new and desire to secure to me by Letters Patent of the United States- 1. An improved gage for laying out caraxles, consisting, essentially, of a scale; a hook on one end thereof; a carriage approximately central upon said scale; a movable center-punch in said carriage; a movable gagebar on the other end of said scale; a hook or blade on said gage-bar, and means for moving the carriage by moving said gage-bar.

2. An improved gage for laying out caraxles, consisting, essentially, of a scale; a hook on one end of said scale; a movable hook on the other end of said scale; a carriage mechanism `connected with the movable hook, and gage-rods projecting from said carriage in opposite directions, said rods having graduations at their ends. v

3. In an improved gage for laying out caraxles, a scale of approximately the length of said axle; a hook on one end thereof; a movable hook at the other end; a carriage slidingly arranged upon said scale about midway thereof; means actuated by said movable hook for moving the carriage one-half of the distance to which the movable hook is moved; a center-punch in said carriage, and means for returning the carriage to its normal position. 4. In an improved gage for laying out caraxles, a scale of approximately the length of said axle; a guide-plate approximately midway of said scale and provided with guides; a carriage upon said guide-plate engaging said guides; a movable center-punch in said carriage; means for moving the carriage in one direction, and further means for returning the same to its normal position.

5. In an improved gage for laying out caraxles, a scale of approximately the length of va car-axle; a fixed hook on one end of said scale; a sliding gage-bar properly guided, at the other end of said scale; a swiveling hook or blade at the end of said gage-bar; a guideplate approximately midway upon said scale and `provid ed with guides; a carriage movable in said guides; a movable center-punch in said carriage; a coil-spring adapted to move said carriage in one direction; a pair of cordsheaves journaled upon a stud on said scale and having relative diameters of one to two, and cords connecting said sheaves respectively with the carriage and the movable gage-bar.

6. In an improved gage for laying out caraxles,a scale; a saddle having lugs as described; a guide-plate approximately midway on said scale; a carriage adapted to slide upon said guide-plate; a center-punch in said carriage having a longitudinal groove; a screw in said carriage and engaging said groove; a coilspring upon said'center-punch and adapted to support said center-punch in an elevated position. y

7 In an improved gage for laying out caraxles, a scale of approximately the length of a car-axle; a xed hook on one end of said scale; a movable gage-bar at the other end of said scale; a 'blade on the end of said gage-bar; guides upon said scale adapted to engage said gage-bar, and means for returning said gagebar to its normal position, said gage-bar being provided with graduations, as described.

8. In an improved gage for laying out caraxles, a scale of approximately the length of a ear-axle; a guide-plate upon said scale; a carriage upon said guide-plate; a center-punch in said carriage; a coil-spring attached to the said carriage and adapted to return the same to its normal position; rods projecting from said carriage and parallel with said scale, and having end graduations as described; a xed hook on one end of said scale; a movable hook on the other end thereof; a gage-bar to which said movable hook is secured and which is provided with graduations, and means for connecting the said gage-bar with said carriage and moving it over a space one-half of that over which said movable hook is moved.

9. In an improved gage for laying out caraxles, a scale of approximately the length of a car-axle; means on 'the said scale for engaging the ends of said axle; a movable carriage upon said scale; a center-punch in said carriage; two connected sheaves journaled upon a stud on said scale, one of said sheaves being twice the diameter of the other; means for connecting the larger sheave with one of said means for engaging one end of said axle, and means for connectingthe smaller sheave with the carriage.

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10. In a gage for laying out ear-axles, a scale of approximately the length of said axle, said seale being made of a metallic bar having on one end a xed hook and on its other end a movable hook; a saddle approximately mid- Way upon said bar and having lugs adapted to straddle said axle and`loeating said scale longitudinally thereupon; a guide-plate; acarriage upon said guide-plate and adapted to slide thereon, and means for moving said earriage in one direction one-half of the distance to which said movable hook is moved,v said means consisting, essentially, of tWo connected GEORGE RIEXINGER.

Witnesses:

THOMAS RmxINGnR, PETER KERL, Jr. 

